System and method for controlling trim position of propulsion devices on a marine vessel

ABSTRACT

A method of controlling trim position of two or more propulsion devices on a marine vessel includes receiving a running trim position for the two or more propulsion devices and receiving at least one of a steering input value or a roll angle of the marine vessel. An adjusted trim position for each of the at least two propulsion devices is then determined based on the running trim position and the steering input value or the roll angle of the marine vessel. A trim actuator for each propulsion device is then operated to move each propulsion device toward its respective adjusted trim position.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for controllingtrim position of trimmable propulsion devices with respect to a transomof a marine vessel.

BACKGROUND

U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,404, incorporated by reference herein, discloses aHall effect rotational position sensor is mounted on a pivotable memberof a marine propulsion system and a rotatable portion of the rotationalposition sensor is attached to a drive structure of the marinepropulsion system. Relative movement between the pivotable member, suchas a gimbal ring, and the drive structure, such as the outboard driveportion of the marine propulsion system, cause relative movement betweenthe rotatable and stationary portions of the rotational position sensor.As a result, signals can be provided which are representative of theangular position between the drive structure and the pivotable member.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,709, incorporated by reference herein, discloses thecalibration procedure allows an upward maximum limit of tilt to beautomatically determined and stored as an operator rotates a marinepropulsion device relative to a marine vessel with a particularindication present. That indication can be a grounded circuit pointwhich informs a microprocessor that at calibration procedure isoccurring in relation to an upward trim limit. When the ground wire isremoved or disconnected from the circuit point, the microprocessor knowsthat the calibration process is complete. During the rotation of theoutboard motor or marine propulsion device in an upward direction, boththe angular position of the outboard motor and the direction of changeof a signal from a trim sensor are stored.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,416,456, incorporated by reference herein, discloses anautomatic trim control system changes the trim angle of a marinepropulsion device as a function of the speed of the marine vesselrelative to the water in which it is operated. The changing of the trimangle occurs between first and second speed magnitudes which operate asminimum and maximum speed thresholds.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,011,982, incorporated by reference herein, discloses asupport system for an outboard motor provides a restricted member thatis attached to a bottom portion of the outboard motor and a restrictingmember that is attached to a support structure that is, in turn,attached to a transom of a marine vessel. The restricted member isprevented from moving in a starboard or port direction by a magnitudegreater than a preselected magnitude that is defined by a gap betweenrestricting and restricted surfaces that move into contact with eachother when forces on the outboard motor cause a lower portion of theoutboard motor to move by a magnitude greater than a predefined limit ineither the port or starboard directions. Preselected gaps betweenrestricting and restricted surfaces are sized to allow nominal vibrationat low operating speeds of the outboard motor while restrictingexcessive lateral movement during operation at high speed.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,457,820, incorporated by reference herein, discloses amethod is provided by controlling the operation of a marine vesselsubject to porpoising. The method includes sensing an operationalcharacteristic of the marine vessel which is indicative of porpoising ofthe marine vessel, and responding to the sensing of the operationalcharacteristic with a response that is representative of the operationalcharacteristic of the marine vessel as being indicative of theporpoising of the marine vessel.

Unpublished U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/873,803, filed Oct. 2,2015, and assigned to the Applicant of the present application,incorporated by reference herein, discloses systems and methodsdisclosed herein control position of a trimmable drive unit with respectto a marine vessel. A controller determines a target trim position as afunction of vessel or engine speed. An actual trim position is measuredand compared to the target trim position. The controller sends a controlsignal to a trim actuator to trim the drive unit toward the target trimposition if the actual trim position is not equal to the target trimposition and if at least one of the following is true: a defined dwelltime has elapsed since a previous control signal was sent to the trimactuator to trim the drive unit; a given number of previous controlsignals has not been exceeded in an attempt to achieve the target trimposition; and a difference between the target trim position and theactual trim position is outside of a given deadband.

Unpublished U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/003,326, filed Jan. 21,2016, and assigned to the Applicant of the present application,incorporated by reference herein, discloses a method for controlling atrim system on a marine vessel includes receiving an actual trimposition of a trimmable marine device at a controller and determining atrim position error by comparing the actual trim position to a targettrim position with the controller. The method also includes determiningan acceleration rate of the marine vessel. In response to determiningthat the trim position error exceeds a first error threshold and themagnitude of the acceleration rate exceeds a given rate threshold, thecontroller commands the marine device to the target trim position. Inresponse to determining that the trim position error exceeds the firsterror threshold and the acceleration rate does not exceed the given ratethreshold, the controller commands the marine device to a setpoint trimposition that is different from the target trim position. An associatedsystem is also disclosed.

Unpublished U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/003,335, filed Jan. 21,2016, and assigned to the Applicant of the present application, which isincorporated by reference herein, discloses a method for controlling atrim system on a marine vessel includes receiving an actual trimposition of a trimmable marine device at a controller and determining amagnitude of a trim position error by comparing the actual trim positionto a target trim position with the controller. The method also includesdetermining a magnitude of an acceleration rate of the marine vessel.The controller determines the activation time of a trim actuator coupledto and rotating the marine device with respect to the marine vesselbased on the magnitude of the trim position error and the magnitude ofthe acceleration rate. The controller then sends a control signal toactivate the trim actuator to rotate the marine device toward the targettrim position. The method includes discontinuing the control signal oncethe activation time expires to deactivate the trim actuator. Acorresponding system is also disclosed.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that arefurther described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is notintended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subjectmatter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope ofthe claimed subject matter.

In one embodiment, a method of controlling trim position of two or morepropulsion devices on a marine vessel includes receiving a running trimposition for the two or more propulsion devices and receiving at leastone of a steering input value or a roll angle of the marine vessel. Anadjusted trim position for each of the at least two propulsion devicesis then determined based on the running trim position and the steeringinput value or the roll angle of the marine vessel. A trim actuator foreach propulsion device is then operated to move each propulsion devicetoward its respective adjusted trim position.

A system for controlling trim position of two or more propulsion deviceson a marine vessel includes at least two trim actuators, each trimactuator configured to adjust a trim position of one of the at least twopropulsion devices. The system further includes a controller configuredto receive at least one of a steering input value or a roll angle of themarine vessel, and determine an adjusted trim position for each of theat least two propulsion devices based on a running trim position and thesteering input value or the roll angle of the marine vessel. Thecontroller further controls the trim actuator to move each of the atleast two propulsion devices towards its respective adjusted trimposition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is described with reference to the followingFigures. The same numbers are used throughout the Figures to referencelike features and like components.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a marine vessel having a systemfor controlling trim position of propulsion devices.

FIG. 2 depicts one embodiment of a trimmable propulsion device accordingto the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic depiction of one embodiment of a trim actuator ina system for controlling trim position of propulsion devices.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram depicting another embodiment of a systemfor controlling trim position of a propulsion device.

FIG. 5 exemplifies a relationship between speed and trim position.

FIG. 6A exemplifies a relationship between steering input or roll angleand trim position.

FIG. 6B exemplifies a relationship between magnitude of trim positionand speed.

FIG. 6C provides one example of adjusted trim positions for fourpropulsion devices on a marine vessel based on a steering input.

FIG. 7 exemplifies a lookup table that can be used to determine adjustedtrim positions.

FIG. 8 exemplifies another lookup table that can be used to determineadjusted trim positions.

FIG. 9 exemplifies a lookup table that can be used to determinemultipliers for determining adjusted trim positions.

FIG. 10 depicts one embodiment of a method for controlling trim positionof marine propulsion devices.

FIG. 11 depicts another embodiment of a method for controlling trimposition of marine propulsion devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the present description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clarity and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be inferredtherefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms areused for descriptive purposes only and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for controllingtrim actuators on a marine vessel so as to control a relative positionof two or more propulsion devices mounted to the transom of a marinevessel. Those skilled in the art of marine vessel propulsion and controlare familiar with many different ways in which the trim angle of apropulsion device such as an outboard motor or stern drive can be variedto change the handling or fuel efficiency of the vessel. For example,many manual trim control systems are known to those skilled in the art.In typical operation, the operator of a marine vessel can change thetrim angle of an associated outboard motor as the velocity of the vesselchanges. This is done to maintain an appropriate angle of the vesselwith respect to the water as it achieves a planing speed and as itincreases its velocity over the water while on plane. The operatorinputs a command to change the trim angle for example by using a keypad,button, or similar input device with “trim up” and “trim down” inputchoices (e.g., see FIG. 4).

The systems of the present disclosure are also capable of carrying outautomatic trim (auto-trim) methods, in which the propulsion device isautomatically trimmed up or down with respect to its current position,depending on a desired attitude of the marine vessel with respect tovessel speed. Auto-trim systems perform trim operations automatically,as a function of vessel speed, without requiring intervention by theoperator of the marine vessel. The automatic change in trim angle of thetrimmable propulsion device 10 enhances the operation of the marinevessel as it achieves planing speed and as it further increases itsvelocity over the water while on plane. For example, trimming thepropulsion device 10 can affect a direction of thrust of a propellerwith respect to a vessel transom, as well as affect vessel roll andpitch.

FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of a system 1 for controlling trimposition of propulsion devices 10 a-10 d on marine vessel 14, which inthe depicted embodiment include a port outer propulsion device 10 a, aport inner propulsion device 10 b, an inner starboard propulsion device10 c, and an outer starboard propulsion device 10 d. While the methodsand systems are described herein with respect to four propulsion devices10 a-10 d, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand inlight of this disclosure that the disclosed methods and systems areequally applicable to marine vessels having more or fewer propulsiondevices. Likewise, though the propulsion devices 10 a-10 d areexemplified in the FIGURES as outboard motors, a person having ordinaryskill in the art will understand in light of this disclosure that thepropulsion devices may also be stern drives with trimmable lower units.The trim position of each propulsion device 10 a-10 d is actuated by arespective trim actuator 16 a-16 d. In one example, the trim actuator isa hydraulic piston-cylinder assembly in fluid communication with ahydraulic pump-motor combination, although the principles of some of thebelow examples could apply equally to electric linear actuators,pneumatic actuators, or other types of trim devices. The trim actuatormay be actuated between an extended position and a retracted position byprovision of hydraulic fluid, electrical power, pneumatic fluid, etc.The extension and retraction of the trim actuator can be used to rotatea trimmable propulsion device up and down with respect to a marinevessel to which it is coupled.

On multi-engine offshore boats having more than two propulsion devices,the outer propulsion devices (e.g. 10 a and 10 d) tend to be rigged withshorter drive shaft lengths than the inner propulsion device(s). This isdue to the hull design being deeper in the center than it is along theoutside, requiring longer drive shaft lengths to get the cavitationplate near level with the bottom of the hull in the center and shorterdrive shaft lengths on the outers. During cornering at high speeds, themarine vessel 14 rolls toward the port side 11 or starboard side 12(depending on the direction of the turn). The outside propulsiondevice(s) on the high side of the turning marine vessel 14 tends to comeout of the water, causing prop venting or blow out. Conversely, thepropulsion device on the low side of the turning marine vessel 14 canend up buried too deep in the water, increasing drag. Such prop ventingcauses problems ranging from loss of speed to damage to the propulsiondevice. Through experimentation and research in the relevant field, thepresent inventor has recognized that the problems and issues relating toprop venting of the upper propulsion devices and drag by the lowerpropulsion devices in a steep turn can be lessened or prevented bychanging the trim of the propulsion devices. For example, on a marinevessel having two or more propulsion devices, the trim position may becascaded into and out of a corner so that the drive depth, or the depthof the propeller, remains approximately constant with respect to thesurface of the water, regardless of the roll angle of the vessel. Forexample, the propulsion devices are cascaded by moving the upperpropulsion device(s) to a more trimmed in (trimmed down) position andmoving the lower propulsion device(s) into a more trimmed out (trimmedup) position. The inventor has further recognized that utilization of afeed-forward control system that predicts the aggressiveness of acornering maneuver based on steering position and/or roll angle andprevents blow out, rather than just reacting to it, by making trimadjustments as the vessel turns and before the propeller breaks throughthe water surface.

The trimming operation of each trim actuator 16 a-16 d is controlled bycontroller 38, which is communicatively connected to each of the trimactuators 16 a-16 d to control activation thereof. The controller 38controls trim of each of the propulsion devices 10 a-10 d separately bycontrolling the respective trim actuator 16 a-16 d, and such control maybe provided as described herein based on one or more of engine speed,vessel speed, steering input value (such as steering wheel angle),and/or roll angle. In the depicted embodiment, the controller 38receives engine speed, or engine RPM, from the engine control module(ECM) 59 a-59 d on each of the propulsion devices 10 a-10 d. Thecontroller 38 also receives a vessel speed from speed sensor 56, andreceives a roll angle of the marine vessel from the roll sensor 66. Thecontroller 38 also receives a steering input from steering positionsensor 52 on steering input device 54, which in the depicted embodimentis a rotational position sensor 52 detecting the rotational position ofsteering wheel 54. The rotational position of the steering wheel may be,for example, measured as an angle with respect to a centered position55, which is the position of the steering wheel 54 associated with astraight ahead steering command. A person of ordinary skill in the artwill understand in light of the disclosure that the steering inputdevice 54 may be any number of user interface devices operable by a userto provide control inputs to steer the marine vessel, such as ajoystick, trackpad, etc., and the steering position sensor 52 may be anysensor device that senses movement or input on said devices.Alternatively or additionally, the steering input may be provided by anautomatic steering control system associated with the marine vessel 14,such as a heading or waypoint control system.

Referring to FIG. 2, the position of a trimmable propulsion device 10(such as the outboard motor shown herein) with respect to the transom 9of a marine vessel 14 is controlled by a hydraulic trim actuator 16. Thetrim actuator 16 includes a hydraulic piston-cylinder assembly 18connected to a hydraulic pump-motor combination 20. The piston-cylinderassembly 18 has a first end (here, the cylinder end) coupled to thetransom 9 of the vessel 14 and a second, opposite end (here, the rodend) coupled to the propulsion device 10, as known to those havingordinary skill in the art. The piston-cylinder assembly 18 operates torotate the propulsion device 10 about a horizontal trim axis 13 to atrimmed-out position, to a trimmed-in position, or to maintain thepropulsion device 10 in any position there between as the pump-motorcombination 20 provides hydraulic fluid to the piston-cylinder assembly18 to move the piston within the cylinder. As mentioned, however, othertypes of hydro-mechanical or electro-mechanical actuators could be usedin other examples.

One example of a hydraulic trim actuator 16 is shown in FIG. 3. Thepiston-cylinder assembly 18 is shown schematically as having a piston 22connected to a rod 24 disposed in a cylinder 26. The piston 22 defines afirst chamber 28 within the cylinder 26 and a second chamber 30 withinthe cylinder 26, both of which chambers 28, 30 change in size as thepiston 22 moves within the cylinder 26. The pump-motor combination 20includes a pump-motor 32 connected to a trim-in relay 34 and a trim-outrelay 36. In other examples, the trim-in relay 34 and the trim-out relay36 are a single relay that can turn the pump-motor 32 on or off and caneffectuate a trim-in or trim-out movement of the trim actuator 16. Therelays 34 and 36 are connected to a controller 38 that controlsenergizing of solenoids in the relays 34 and 36, which act as switchesto couple a power source such as a battery (not shown) to chamber 28 ofthe piston-cylinder assembly 18, and a second hydraulic line 42 couplesthe pump-motor 32 to the second chamber 30 of the piston-cylinderassembly 18. As long as the trim-in relay 34 is activated, thepump-motor 32 provides hydraulic fluid through the first hydraulic line40 to the first chamber 28 of the piston-cylinder assembly 18, therebypushing the piston 22 downwardly within the cylinder 26 and lowering(trimming in, or trimming down) the propulsion device 10 coupled to therod 24. As long as the trim-out relay 36 is activated, the pump-motor 32provides hydraulic fluid through the second hydraulic line 42 to thesecond chamber 30 of the piston-cylinder assembly 18, thereby pushingthe piston 22 upwardly within the cylinder 26 and raising (trimming out,or trimming up) the propulsion device 10 coupled to the rod 24.Hydraulic fluid can be removed from the opposite chamber 28 or 30 of thecylinder 26 into which fluid is not being pumped in either instance, anddrained to a tank or circulated through the pump-motor 32.

In this way, the trim actuator 16 can position the propulsion device 10at different angles with respect to the transom 9. These may be aneutral (level) trim position, in which the propulsion device 10 is inmore or less of the vertical position V; a trimmed in (trimmed down)position; or a trimmed out (trimmed up) position. A trimmed outposition, as shown in FIG. 2, is often used when the marine vessel 14 ison plane and high speeds are required. At high speeds, the trimmed outposition causes the bow of the marine vessel 14 to rise out of thewater, resulting in better handling and increased fuel efficiency. Thus,many auto-trim algorithms include determining a target running trimposition at which to orient the propulsion device 10 with the controller38 based on speed, such as but not limited to engine speed, vesselspeed, a combination of vessel speed and engine speed, or a tradeoffbetween vessel speed and engine speed depending on additional vesselconditions. Examples of such systems are shown and described in U.S.Pat. No. 7,416,456; and U.S. application Ser. Nos. 14/873,803;15/003,326; 15/003,335, which are incorporated herein by reference.

As an example, the controller 38 may define the running trim position byreference to vertical line V. When the centerline CL of the propulsiondevice 10 is parallel to the vertical line V, the controller 38 mayconsider this to be zero trim. Trim position can be quantified as avalue P with respect to the vertical line V, which represents the angleor comparative position between the centerline CL of the propulsiondevice 10 and the vertical line V. This value P can be expressed as anangle, a percentage of a total angle to which the propulsion device 10can be trimmed, a scalar value, a polar coordinate, or any otherappropriate unit. For purposes of the description provided herein below,the angle P will be expressed as a percentage of total allowable trimangle, which can be measured from vertical, from a fully trimmed outposition, or from a fully trimmed in position.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic of an embodiment of the system 1 forcontrolling trim position. In the example shown, the system 1 includescontroller 38, which is programmable and includes a processor 46 and amemory 48. The controller 38 can be located anywhere on the marinevessel 14 and/or located remote from the marine vessel 14 and cancommunicate with various components of the system 1 via wired and/orwireless communication links, as will be explained further herein below.Although FIGS. 1 and 3 show a single controller 38, the system 1 mayinclude more than one controller 38. For example, the system 1 may havea controller 38 located at or near a helm of the marine vessel 14 andcan also have one or more controllers located at or near the propulsiondevices 10 a-10 d. The controller 38 may be a dedicated device, or maybe incorporated in and a function of a multi-function control device,such as incorporated into a helm control module (HCM) or other controldevice and software communicatively connected to the ECMs 59 a-59 d.Portions of the method disclosed herein below can be carried out by asingle controller or by several separate controllers.

In some examples, the controller 38 may be a computing system thatincludes a processing system, storage system, software, and input/output(I/O) interfaces for communicating with devices such as those shown inFIG. 4, and described herein. The processing system loads and executessoftware from the storage system, such as software programmed with atrim control method. When executed by the computing system, trim controlsoftware directs the processing system to operate as described herein toexecute the trim control method. The computing system may include one ormany application modules and one or more processors, which may becommunicatively connected. The processing system can comprise amicroprocessor (e.g., processor 46) and other circuitry that retrievesand executes software from the storage system. Processing system can beimplemented within a single processing device but can also bedistributed across multiple processing devices or sub-systems thatcooperate in executing program instructions. Non-limiting examples ofthe processing system include general purpose central processing units,application specific processors, and logic devices.

The storage system (e.g., memory 48) can comprise any storage mediareadable by the processing system and capable of storing software. Thestorage system can include volatile and non-volatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data. The storage system can be implemented asa single storage device or across multiple storage devices orsub-systems. The storage system can further include additional elements,such as a controller capable of communicating with the processingsystem. Non-limiting examples of storage media include random accessmemory, read only memory, magnetic discs, optical discs, flash memory,virtual memory, and non-virtual memory, magnetic sets, magnetic tape,magnetic disc storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium which can be used to store the desired information and that maybe accessed by a processing system. The storage media can be anon-transitory or a transitory storage media.

In this example, the controller 38 communicates with one or morecomponents of the system 1 via a communication link 50, which can be awired or wireless link. The controller 38 is capable of monitoring andcontrolling one or more operational characteristics of the system 1 andits various subsystems by sending and receiving control signals via thecommunication link 50. In one example, the communication link 50 is acontroller area network (CAN) bus, but other types of links could beused. It should be noted that the extent of connections of thecommunication link 50 shown herein is for schematic purposes only, andthe communication link 50 in fact provides communication between thecontroller 38 and each of the sensors, devices, etc. described herein,although not every connection is shown in the drawing for purposes ofclarity.

As mentioned, the controller 38 receives inputs from several differentsensors and/or input devices aboard or coupled to the marine vessel 14.For example, the controller 38 receives a steering input from a steeringposition sensor 52 that senses a position or angle of a steering inputdevice, such as a joystick and/or a steering wheel 54. As describedabove, the steering input may also be provided by an automatic steeringcontrol system. The controller 38 may also be provided with an inputfrom a vessel speed sensor 56. The vessel speed sensor 56 may be, forexample, pressure-type sensor, such as pitot tube 56 a, a paddle wheeltype sensor 56 b, or any other speed sensor appropriate for sensing theactual speed of the marine vessel. Alternatively or additionally, thevessel speed may instead be determined based on readings from a GPSdevice 56 c, which calculates speed by determining how far the vessel 14has traveled in a given amount of time. The propulsion device 10 mayalso be provided with an engine speed sensor 58, such as but not limitedto a tachometer, that determines a speed of the engine 60 powering thepropulsion device 10 in rotations per minute (RPM). The engine speed canbe used along with other measured or known values to approximate avessel speed (i.e., to calculate a pseudo vessel speed). A trim positionsensor 62 may also be provided for sensing an actual position of thetrim actuator 16, for example, by measuring a relative position betweentwo parts associated with the trim actuator 16. The trim position sensor62 may be any type of sensor known to those having ordinary skill in theart, for example a Hall effect sensor or a potentiometer, such asexamples provided and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,404 incorporatedherein by reference. The controller 38 may also receive inputs from aroll sensor 66 that senses a roll position, such as an angle withrespect to horizontal. For example, the roll sensor 66 may comprise agyroscope, such as a three-axis gyroscope, to detect orientationinformation that may be used to determine the roll angle of the marinevessel 14. In other embodiments, the roll sensor 66 may be amagnetometer, or may include any other type of position or inertialmeasurement unit, such as a combination accelerometer and/or gyroscopewith a magnetometer.

Other inputs to the system 1 can come from operator input devices suchas a throttle lever 68, a keypad 70, and a touchscreen 64. The throttlelever 68 allows the operator of the marine vessel to choose to operatethe vessel in neutral, forward, or reverse, as is known. The keypad 70can be used to initiate or exit any number of control or operation modes(such as auto-trim mode), or to make selections while operating withinone of the selected modes. In one example, the keypad 70 comprises aninterface having a “trim up” button 70 a, a “trim down” button 70 b, andan “auto-trim on/resume” button 70 c, which can be utilized by a user tocontrol the running trim position of one or more of the propulsiondevices 10 a-10 d. For example, the trim buttons 70 a and 70 b mayprovide user input to control all of the propulsion devices to the samerunning trim position. The touchscreen 64 can also be used to initiateor exit any number of control or operation modes (such as trim up, trimdown, or auto-trim mode), and in that case the inputs can be buttons inthe traditional sense or selectable screen icons. The touchscreen 64 canalso display information about the system 1 to the operator of thevessel 14, such as engine speed, vessel speed, trim angle, trimoperating mode, vessel acceleration rate, etc. Additionally, thetouchscreen 64 may replace the keypad 70, providing the trim buttons 70a-70 b.

As described above, the present inventor has recognized trim of thepropulsion devices 10 on a marine vessel can be automatically controlledto discreetly control the two or more propulsion devices (e.g., 10 a-10d) to different trim angles during cornering at high speeds in order toavoid prop venting by the upper propulsion devices 10 (on the outer sideof the turn) and increased drag by the lower propulsion devices 10 (onthe inside of the turn) when the marine vessel is in a rolled corneringposition. Namely, one or more of the upper propulsion devices 10 can betrimmed in (or trimmed down) from the running trim position and/or oneor more of the lower propulsion devices 10 can be trimmed out (trimmedup) from the running trim position in order to keep the propellersunderneath the surface of the water.

FIG. 5 depicts a graphical representation showing the relationshipbetween running trim position and speed, which may be engine RPM orvessel speed, which is applied when the marine vessel 14 is traveling inthe straight ahead direction. The graph of FIG. 5 provides an example ofhow trim may be automatically controlled via an auto-trim system withrespect to speed; however, a person having ordinary skill in the artwill also understand in light of this disclosure that the methods andsystems disclosed herein for controlling trim during cornering maneuvermay also be applied in situations where the propulsion devices 10 a-10 dare controlled manually to a running trim position (such as via trimbuttons 70 a and 70 b). As used herein, the running trim position refersgenerally to the current instructed or target trim position for thepropulsion device 10 on a marine vessel based on the current runningcondition of the propulsion device and/or based on user input. Thus, therunning trim position may be automatically controlled and instructed byan auto-trim system based on speed (vessel speed and/or engine RPM) ormay be manually controlled by a user. The running trim position mayfurther be a stored value, such as from the auto-trim system and/or auser control setting, or it may be a measured value, such as from thetrim position sensor 62 associated with the trim actuator 16.

As described above, the trim position of the propulsion devices isgenerally increased as the vessel speed increases and the propulsiondevices 10 a-10 d are generally trimmed out (applying positive trim) athigh speeds when the marine vessel is on plane. The propulsion devices10 a-10 d are movable to a maximum positive trim position 74 (or maximumtrim out position). In the depicted example, the running trim position72 is the value on the trim position curve 71 at the current speed 77.In the depicted relationship the running trim increases generallyproportionally with the speed between the lower speed threshold 76 andthe upper speed threshold 78. In the graph of FIG. 5, zero trimrepresents the vertical position when the propulsion device 10 is inline with vertical line V (FIG. 2). Negative trim positions, or trim inpositions, are represented below the zero point on the trim positionaxis. In the depicted embodiment, the propulsion devices 10 a-10 d aremaintained in a trimmed in position until the vessel reaches a lowerspeed threshold, which may be at or near the planing speed. Below thelower speed threshold 76, the trim position is maintained at a constantvalue. Likewise, above an upper speed threshold 78 the trim is alsomaintained at a constant value. This avoids making trim adjustments atspeed below the planing speed and at very high speeds. Avoidingadjustment at very high speeds may be desirable in certain embodimentsbecause adjusting trim at very high speeds may introduce unwantedinstability for certain marine vessels 14. Accordingly, trim is onlyadjusted within an operating range OR between a lower speed threshold 76and an upper speed threshold 78. In that range, the running trimposition is determined based on the current speed 77 and therelationship is depicted by the trim position curve 71. The relationshipbetween speed and trim position may be linear or curvilinear, and mayvary, for example, based on vessel configuration.

FIG. 6A provides a graph exemplifying a possible relationship betweensteering input (exemplified as steering angle) and trim position at agiven speed, such as a planing speed (speed where the vessel is onplane) or a speed above the lower speed threshold 76. In a given system1, the relationship between steering position and trim position may varyat different speeds, and thus the graph may look different at differentspeeds. The y-axis represents trim, with the running trim position 72providing a center point, or axis, around which the trim position ofpropulsion devices 10 a-10 d are adjusted with respect to the steeringangle magnitude, represented on the x-axis. In the graph of FIG. 6A, thetrim position of four propulsion devices 10 a-10 d are depicted, and thepropulsion devices are identified as “low outer”, “low inner”, “highinner”, and “high outer”. In embodiments where the vessel is turningtowards the starboard direction, for example, the outer starboardpropulsion device 10 d and the inner starboard propulsion device 10 cwill be the low outer and low inner propulsion devices, respectively andthe outer port propulsion device 10 a and inner port propulsion device10 b will be in the high inner and high outer positions, respectively.Conversely, if the turn is in the port direction, then the port sidepropulsion devices 10 a and 10 b will be in the low outer and low innerpositions, while the starboard side propulsion devices 10 c and 10 dwill be in the high inner and high outer positions.

In the depicted embodiment, the trim position remains at the runningtrim position value 72 until the magnitude of the steering input, whichin this case is steering angle of steering wheel 54, reaches a thresholdsteering angle 81. Once the steering wheel 54 is moved past thatthreshold steering angle 81 the trim position of the propulsion devicesis adjusted as depicted. For instance, the trim adjustment amountincreases as the steering wheel 54 is turned away from the centeredposition 55 (i.e. as the magnitude of the steering angle increases)towards a maximum steering angle 85 (e.g., the steering end stop), andthen decreases as the steering wheel 54 is turned back towards itscentered position 55. The graph depicts an exemplary set of adjustedtrim positions 88 w-88 z which will be assigned to each of thepropulsion devices 10 a-10 d depending on the direction ofsteering—i.e., which propulsion devices are low and which propulsiondevices are high. As the magnitude of the steering angle increases, theadjustment made to the trim position of each of the propulsion devices10 a-10 d increases, with the outer propulsion devices 10 a and 10 dhaving a larger trim adjustment (either positively or negatively) thanthe inner propulsion devices 10 b and 10 c. Further, in the depictedembodiment, the adjustment to the trim position begins to occur at alesser steering angle magnitude and changes more aggressively for theouter propulsion devices 10 a and 10 d than for the inner propulsiondevices 10 b and 10 c. This relationship also holds true in anembodiment controlled based on roll angle, where the trim is likewiseadjusted by an increasing amount as the roll angle of the marine vessel14 increases.

The adjusted trim position 88 w-88 z are determined based on the currentsteering angle 83 for a given vessel speed. The adjusted trim positions88 w-88 z may be adjusted during a turn to account for changes in speed,vessel speed or engine speed. If vessel speed does decrease during thecourse of a turn (e.g. because of a user reducing the throttle demand)the running trim position 72 will decrease, such as along the exemplarycurve of FIG. 5, the adjusted trim positions 88 w-88 z can bepredetermined accordingly. Vessel speed can be accounted for directly inthe determination of adjusted trim position, or indirectly by basing iton running trim position. The running trim position 72 will decrease asthe vessel speed or engine speed decreases (such as along the exemplarycurve of FIG. 5) and the adjusted trim positions 88 w-88 z can bechanged accordingly to account for the new running trim position 72.

FIG. 6B provides another graph describing an exemplary relationshipbetween the magnitude of trim adjustment (e.g., the difference betweenthe running trim position 72 and the adjusted trim position 88 w-88 z)and speed for a particular steering input value or roll angle. Thedepicted trim adjustment is applied (either positively or negatively) tothe running trim position. In the example, the magnitude of the trimadjustment is zero below the lower speed threshold 76, increases to amaximum, then decreases as it approaches the upper speed threshold 78,and is zero above the upper speed threshold 78. In the depictedembodiment, the inner propulsion devices and the outer propulsiondevices are both adjusted above the lower speed threshold 76 and belowthe upper speed threshold 78; however, as described above, the trimadjustments are larger for the outer propulsion devices (e.g. 10 a and10 d) than for the inner propulsion devices. However, in otherembodiments the inner propulsion devices may be adjusted at differentspeed thresholds than the outers. The curves represent magnitude of theadjustment, which is applied oppositely on either side of the centerlineof the vessel, as described above (i.e., propulsion devices on one sideare trimmed out and the other side as trimmed in). The trim adjustmentsare only made in the operating range (OR) between the lower speedthreshold 76 and the upper speed threshold 78. Accordingly, the depictedexample avoids trim adjustments above the upper speed threshold 78. Inother embodiments where such instability at the vessel's maximum speedsis not an issue, the curve may be shaped to provide the maximum trimadjustment magnitude at the high speed values. The depicted parabolicrelationship between speed and trim adjustment magnitude is merelyexemplary, and in other embodiments the relationship may be linear orcurvilinear, and may vary, for example, based on vessel configuration.Likewise, the curve may look different for different running trimpositions.

FIG. 6C provides another illustrative depiction of this concept in theform of a bar graph representing the adjusted trim positions 88 w-88 zassigned to the four propulsion devices 10 a-10 d. In the illustrativeexample, the steering angle is 360 degrees in the starboard direction(i.e. steering wheel is turned 360 degrees from its straight-aheadposition), and the running trim position 72 is at 20 percent. Since theturn is in the starboard direction, the port outer propulsion device 10a and port inner propulsion device 10 b will be high and thus aretrimmed in from the running trim position 72, with the port outerpropulsion device 10 a trimmed in the most to adjusted trim position 88z. Likewise, the starboard inner propulsion device 10 c and starboardouter device 10 d will be in the low positions and will be trimmed outfrom the running trim position 72, with the starboard outer propulsiondevice 10 d trimmed out the most to adjusted trim position 88 w.Conversely, if the steering angle were in the opposite direction (e.g.−360 degrees representing a turn in the port direction), the port sidepropulsion devices 10 a and 10 b would be trimmed out and the starboardside propulsion devices 10 b and 10 c would be trimmed in. While thedepicted examples show symmetrical trim adjustments of the propulsiondevices 10 a-10 d about the running trim position 72, in otherembodiments the trim-in adjustments may have a different magnitude thanthe trim-out adjustments. Likewise, adjustments may not necessarily bemade to all of the propulsion devices 10 a-10 d on the marine vessel.

In one embodiment, the adjustment amount between the running trim angle72 and the adjusted trim position for each propulsion device on themarine vessel 14 is calibrated based on the vessel configuration, suchas to account for the hull configuration of the marine vessel 14 and thenumber and positioning of the propulsion devises (e.g., 10 a-10 d)thereon. In reference to the quad example, the adjusted trim positions88 w-88 z may be determined for each of at least two propulsion devices10 a-10 d by accessing a lookup table based on one or more of thesteering input value, the roll angle, the vessel speed, the engine RPM,and the running trim position, where the values in the lookup table arecalibrated for the particular marine vessel 14 configuration.

FIG. 7 depicts one exemplary lookup table 91 providing adjusted trimpositions 88 for each of the propulsion devices 10 a-10 d (e.g., 88 w-88z) based on the steering input value or roll angle and the speed, whichcould be the vessel speed or the engine speed. The values associatedwith the zero steering angle will be equal to the running trim position72 at that speed. Adjusted trim positions 88 (e.g. one for eachpropulsion device 10 on the marine vessel 14) are provided in the lookuptable 91 for steering input values or roll angle increments in eachrotational direction. The trim actuators 16 a-16 d are then operated tomove the associated propulsion device 10 a-10 d towards its respectiveadjusted trim position 88 w-88 z.

FIG. 8 depicts one exemplary embodiment, where a lookup table 91contains trim adjustment values 93 based on running trim position andsteering input or roll angle. The trim adjustment values 93 may be anyvalues upon which the adjusted trim positions for each of the propulsiondevices 10 a-10 d can be determined. For example, the trim adjustmentvalues 93 may include a trim adjustment amount for each propulsiondevice 10 a-10 d, which could then be added or subtracted from therunning trim position 72. Alternatively, the adjusted trim adjustmentvalues 93 may be the actual adjusted trim positions 88 w-88 z, where nofurther calculation is necessary. In the depicted example, the lookuptable 91 contains trim adjustment values 93 for steering input in bothdirections, as described above. In other embodiments, the lookup table91 may be based on steering input magnitude or roll angle magnitude, andadditional logic may be applied to determine whether the trim adjustmentvalues 93 should be applied in the positive direction to trim out thepropulsion device or the negative direction to trim in the propulsiondevice depending on whether it is in a low or high position.

In still another embodiment, determination of the adjusted trimpositions 88 w-88 z may be performed using a lookup table of trimadjustment values 93 based on speed and steering wheel angle, and suchvalues may then be added and/or subtracted to the running trim position,or used in conjunction with a some other process based on the runningtrim position 72.

In embodiments where the auto trim feature is in effect, and thus therunning trim position 72 is determined based on speed (e.g., engine RPMor vessel speed), the running trim position value on the lookup table 91will account for speed for purposes of determining the adjusted trimposition. In embodiments where the running trim position 72 is set by auser, and thus may not correlate to speed with the desired accuracy, itmay be desirable to apply a multiplier to the trim adjustment values 93to ensure that trim adjustments are not applied outside of the operatingrange, or at least above the upper speed threshold 78. FIG. 9 depicts anexemplary one-dimensional lookup table 95 containing multiplier values Xbased on speed (e.g., engine RPM or vessel speed). Such a multiplier mayaccount for the operating range OR of speeds discussed with respect toFIG. 5, and thus may operate to ensure that the trim position is notadjusted at speeds below a lower speed threshold 76 or above an upperspeed threshold 78, and may also taper the speed adjustment (e.g., asexemplified in FIG. 6B). Similarly, such a multiplier table could beused in conjunction with one dimensional table providing a trimadjustment values based on steering input value or roll angle.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart depicting one embodiment of a method 100 ofcontrolling trim position. The running trim position is received at step102. As discussed above, the running trim position indicates the currenttrim position setting, which may be automatically controlled and setbased on current conditions, such as speed, or may be a user set trimposition. The running trim position may be the current value of avariable stored by an auto-trim control process, such as a value storedin memory 48 and retrievable by the processor 46. Alternatively, therunning trim position may be received from the trim position sensor 62,reflecting the actual measured current trim position of the respectivepropulsion device 10 a-10 d. At step 104, the steering input and/or rollangle are received, such as from the steering position sensor 52 or theroll sensor 66. The steering input or roll angle received at step 104are compared to a respective threshold value at step 106 to determinewhether the steering input and/or roll angle are greater than therespective threshold value. If not, then the method returns to step 102,such that the steering input and/or roll angle are continually monitoredto determine whether trim adjustment is required. If the steering inputand/or roll angle do exceed the respective threshold values at step 106,an adjusted trim position is determined for each of the at least twopropulsion devices 10 a-10 d based on the running trim position and thesteering input value or the roll angle of the marine vessel at step 110.For example, the adjusted trim position may be determined via the lookuptable exemplified in FIG. 8 and correspondingly described. Eachpropulsion device 10 a-10 d is moved toward its respective adjusted trimposition at step 112, such as by sending control signals to therespective trim actuators 16 a-16 d to operate accordingly.

The method 100 of controlling trim position may be executed, forexample, by the controller 38 executing software stored in memory 48 onprocessor 46. Alternatively or additionally, portions of the method maybe executed by other control devices or modules, such as by a helmcontrol module (HCM) for the marine vessel 14 and/or by the respectiveECMs 59 a-59 d for the propulsion devices 10 a-10 d.

FIG. 11 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a method 100 forcontrolling trim position. The running trim position is received at step102, and steering input and/or roll angle are received at step 104 asdescribed above. At step 105, the current vessel speed is received. Atstep 107, the steering input and/or roll angle received at step 104 arecompared to a threshold for that value type, where the threshold isidentified based on the vessel speed received at step 105. Thus, thethreshold for determining whether trim adjustment should be made isvariable based on vessel speed. For example, the threshold for makingtrim adjustments may decrease as vessel speed increases, therebyincreasing the trim reactiveness as vessel speed increases. In referenceto embodiments disclosed and described herein, the vessel speed may bereceived, for example, from any one or more of the exemplary vesselspeed sensors 56 described herein, including the pitot tube sensor 56 a,paddle wheel sensor 56 b, or GPS system 56c. Alternatively oradditionally, steps 105 and 107 may be based on engine speed, such asfrom an engine speed sensor 58 on each of the propulsion devices 10 a-10d. For example, the engine speed may be tracked by and received fromeach respective ECM 59 a-59 d. If the steering input and/or roll angledo not exceed the threshold then the method returns to step 102,continually monitoring the steering input and/or roll angle andcomparing it to thresholds based on speed. In certain embodiments, thesteering input and/or roll angle inputs may be filtered to preventexcessive trim cycling based on minor and momentary steering or rollchanges.

Once the threshold is exceeded at step 107, the trim adjustment value isdetermined based on the steering input and/or roll angle at step 108.For example, the trim adjustment value may be determined utilizing alookup table comparing trim position and steering input or roll angle,such as a one dimensional lookup table or a two dimensional lookup tablebased on running trim angle such as that exemplified and described abovein FIG. 8. For instance, the lookup table may be a one dimensionallookup table providing trim angle adjustment amounts based one speed. Inembodiments where the trim angle adjustment is pegged to running trimposition but the running trim position is set by a user (rather thanautomatically determined based on speed) and thus may not be tieddirectly or exactly to the vessel speed or engine speed, the system 1may execute step 109 to determine a multiplier based on the vessel speed(or engine speed), thus ensuring that the trim correction is notinappropriate for the current vessel speed. As described elsewhereherein, significant trim adjustments at high speeds may have potentialfor creating instability for the marine vessel 14, and thus significanttrim adjustments may be avoided by including a multiplier that is lessthan one, or even equal to zero to reduce or eliminate trim adjustmentat high speeds. As exemplified above with respect to FIG. 9, themultiplier may be determined by accessing a one-dimensional lookup table95 correlating multiplier X values to speed increments, where trimadjustments at high speed values may have multiplier values X thatapproach or are equal to zero. For example, the multiplier X may be zerobelow the lower speed threshold 76 and/or above the upper speedthreshold 78. Likewise, the multiplier X value may be significantly lessthan 1 and decrease as it approaches the lower speed threshold 76 and/orthe upper speed threshold 78. The adjusted trim position for eachpropulsion device 10 a-10 d is determined at step 110, such as bymultiplying the trim adjustment values determined at step 108 by themultiplier determined at step 109. Each propulsion device 10 a-10 d isthen moved towards its adjusted trim position at step 112.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to make and use the invention. Certain terms have been used forbrevity, clarity and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to beinferred therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes only and are intended to bebroadly construed. The patentable scope of the invention is defined bythe claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilledin the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope ofthe claims if they have features or structural elements that do notdiffer from the literal language of the claims, or if they includeequivalent features or structural elements with insubstantialdifferences from the literal languages of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of controlling trim position of two ormore propulsion devices on a marine vessel, the method comprising:receiving a running trim position for the two or more propulsiondevices; receiving at least one of a steering input value or a rollangle of the marine vessel; determining an adjusted trim position foreach of the at least two propulsion devices based on the running trimposition and the steering input value or the roll angle of the marinevessel; and operating a trim actuator to move each propulsion devicetoward its respective adjusted trim position.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the adjusted trim position for each one of the at least twopropulsion devices is different.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thesteering input value is an angular position of a steering wheel withrespect to a centered position.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theadjusted trim position for a first one of the at least two propulsiondevices is less than the running trim position, and the adjusted trimposition for a second one of the at least two propulsion devices isgreater than or equal to the running trim position.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the marine vessel has an outer port propulsion device,an inner port propulsion device, an inner starboard propulsion device,and an outer starboard propulsion device, and further comprising:determining a first adjusted trim position for the outer port propulsiondevice, a second adjusted trim position for the inner port propulsiondevice, a third adjusted trim position for the inner starboardpropulsion device, and a fourth adjusted trim position for the outerstarboard propulsion device; wherein two of the first adjusted trimposition, the second adjusted trim position, the third adjusted trimposition, and the fourth adjusted trim position are less than therunning trim position, and the remaining two of the first adjusted trimposition, the second adjusted trim position, the third adjusted trimposition, and the fourth adjusted trim position are greater than orequal to the running trim position.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising determining that a magnitude of the steering input value isgreater than a threshold steering input or a magnitude of the roll angleis greater than a threshold roll angle before determining the adjustedtrim position.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining theadjusted trim position for each of the at least two propulsion devicesincludes accessing a lookup table of trim adjustment values based oneither the steering input value or the roll angle.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the running trim position is determined by a controllerbased on a vessel speed and/or an engine speed.
 9. The method of claim7, further comprising: receiving an engine speed or a vessel speed;determining a multiplier based on the vessel speed or the engine speed;and multiplying the trim adjustment values from the lookup table by themultiplier to determine the adjusted trim position.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the multiplier is configured to minimize the differencebetween the running trim position and the adjusted trim position whenthe vessel speed or the engine speed is less than a lower speedthreshold or greater than an upper speed threshold.
 11. A system forcontrolling trim position of two or more propulsion devices on a marinevessel, the system comprising: at least two trim actuators, each trimactuator configured to adjust a trim position of one of the at least twopropulsion devices; a controller configured to: receive a steering inputvalue or a roll angle of the marine vessel; determine an adjusted trimposition for each of the at least two propulsion devices based on arunning trim position and the steering input value or the roll angle ofthe marine vessel; and control the trim actuator to move each of the atleast two propulsion devices toward its respective adjusted trimposition.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the adjusted trim positionfor each one of the at least two propulsion devices is different fromthe other ones of the at least two propulsion devices.
 13. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the controller receives the steering input value,wherein the steering input value is an angular position of a steeringwheel with respect to a centered position measured by a steeringposition sensor.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the adjusted trimposition for a first one of the at least two propulsion devices is lessthan the running trim position and the adjusted trim position for asecond one of the at least two propulsion devices is greater than orequal to the running trim position.
 15. The system of claim 13, whereinthe marine vessel has an outer port propulsion device, an inner portpropulsion device, an inner starboard propulsion device, and an outerstarboard propulsion device, and wherein the trim controller isconfigured to: determine a first adjusted trim position for the outerport propulsion device, a second adjusted trim position for the innerport propulsion device, a third adjusted trim position for the innerstarboard propulsion device, and a fourth adjusted trim position for theouter starboard propulsion device; wherein two of the first adjustedtrim position, the second adjusted trim position, the third adjustedtrim position, and the fourth adjusted trim position are less than therunning trim position, and the remaining two of the first adjusted trimposition, the second adjusted trim position, the third adjusted trimposition, and the fourth adjusted trim position are greater than orequal to the running trim position.
 16. The system of claim 15, furthercomprising determining that a magnitude of the steering input value isgreater than a threshold steering input or a magnitude of the roll angleis greater than a threshold roll angle before determining the adjustedtrim position.
 17. The system of claim 11, further comprising a lookuptable accessible by the controller for determining the adjusted trimposition for each of the at least two propulsion devices, wherein thelookup table lists trim adjustment values based on either the steeringinput value or the roll angle.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein thecontroller is configured to determine the running trim position based ona vessel speed and/or an engine speed.
 19. The system of claim 17,wherein the controller is further configured to: receive an engine speedor a vessel speed; determine a multiplier based on the vessel speed orthe engine speed; and multiply the trim adjustment values from thelookup table by the multiplier to determine the adjusted trim positionfor each of the at least two propulsion devices.
 20. The system of claim19, wherein the multiplier is configured to minimize the differencebetween the running trim position and the adjusted trim position whenthe vessel speed or the engine speed is less than a lower speedthreshold or greater than an upper speed threshold.